Scathing report calls for a ban of prone restraint tactics

A newly released report by the disAbility Law Center of Virginia (dLCV) reveals that the death of Irvo Otieno, who was killed at Central State Hospital in Dinwiddie County during a mental health crisis while in police custody last year, could have been prevented had sheriff’s deputies and hospital staff not used prone restraint, a controversial method of subduing individuals. In a presentation of the findings before the House Appropriations Committee at the state Capitol in Richmond Tuesday, Colleen Miller, the dLCV’s executive director, urged lawmakers to end the criminalization of mental illness, remove law enforcement from the state’s response...

Article Link